Improvement in horoscopes



yUNITED STATES" PATENT" 1`Orr1 cE1..i1 1j;

MICHAEL. EBLE', ou ELLWANGENNVRTEManne, Assrenoa ro nuDoLrH ENGLEaoFsAME PLAGE. l V y IMPROVEMENT iN HOROSCOPES,

Specification forming part of LetterslPatent No. 39,860.l dated September 8, 1863. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL EBLE, of Ellwangen, in the Kingdom of Wrtemberg, have invented a new and Improved Horoscope and I do hereby decla-re that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a front elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same.

Similar letters ot' reference in both views indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in the arrangement of an -shaped index provided with a plumbline and with a diopter and bracket to intercept the suns rays, in combination with a T- shaped adjustable scale-board, in such a manner that by the combined action of the scales on the scale-board and of the shaped index, the position of which is governed by the position ofthe sun, the time of the day can be determined at any moment when the sun shines.'

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

The scale-board B consists of two flat strips, a b, of Wood or other suitable material, united together in the shape of the letter T, and it is secured by a pivot, p, to the post E, which rises from the pedestal F. The pivot p is provided with a large head, and extends through a suitable socket in the post, being prevented from turning by a pin, p', passing transverselythrough its shank and fitting into a slot or recess in the post. A screw-thread cut onthe end of the pivot and tting to a nut, p, serves to fasten the scale-board in any desired position. Closeto the upper margin of the strip a the scale of polar distances of the sun is drawn, a-nd the rest of its surface, with the exception oi' its ends, is occupied by the scale of hours formed of curved lines and marked with the hours from IV a. 1n. to VIIIp. m. The hours are subdivided into spaces, each corresponding to the minutes; or, if desired, still smaller spaces may be markedwon this scale. At the Vends of the scale of hours aretwo other small scales, indieatin g the dierent elevations ofthe pole.

The index A consists of two arms, ed, united in the shape of an The arm c'bears two small brass plates or brackets, k l, onea-t' the end and the other near to the junction" ofL the two arms. The plate k is provided with two small holes to admit the rays of the sun, and the bracket l is provided with a black line on white ground. To the outer end of the arm d a small brass plate, m, is secured, from which the plumb-line o is suspended. The knot of the thread to which the plummet is attached ought to be in front of the brass plate m, so that the thread hangs down behind said plate. A hole, n, in the arm d receives the plummet when the instrument is packed up. The index A turns on a pivot, h, the head of which is countersunk in the inner end of the arm c, and which is secured to the lower end of the arm b of the scale-board by a screw and nut, 11,', so that it can be turned easily to any position, and that it willretain its position when left toitself.

In order to determine the time at any moment in which the sun shines, the operation is as follows: The rst thing necessary is to ascertain the elevation of the pole at the place l of observation, which can be found on the margin of an ordinary map, the elevation of the pole corresponding to the latitude of the respective place. A line is then drawn across the scale of hours, such as shown in Fig. l of the drawings, to correspond to the elevation of Philadelphia. After this the instrument is placed upon a plane not materially differing from a horizontal plane, and it is brought in such apposition that the sun stands at the left and nearly in the prolongation of the plane in the scale a, which makes the shade thrown by the scale a appear as a straight line. The polar distance of the sun corresponding to the year, month, and day of the month on which the observation is made must also be ascertained, and for this purpose a table containing these distances is added to each instrument. That point on the scale of polar distances marked near the upper margin of the scale-board which corresponds to the polar distance of the day of observation is then brought vertically over the center of the pivot h, which can be effected by turning the scale-board on its fulcrum f. vThe correct position of the point of polar distance over the pivot h can be determined in the simplest way by the aid of the plumb line suspended from the arm "d. After the 'scale-board has thus been adjusted in regard to the polar distance it is fastened by means of the nut p, and the index A is turned on the pivot h until the suns rays pass through the two little holes in the diopter k upon the brass plate l. At the moment when the double image of the sun, appearing in the form of two little disks, the one standing over the other, is intersected by the black line the plumb-line shows the hour and minute of true solar time upon the scale of hours at that point where the thread crosses the line of the polar elevation belonging to the place of observation. One hour before and one hour after noon no observation for the determination of time can be taken with an instrument for measuring altitudes, (astrolabe,) and therefore no division was made for these two hours.

The true solar time obtained by this instru-l ment must be corrected according to mean time by the aid of an affixed table giving'the equation of time.

Having' thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The arrangementof the oscillating -shaped index A, in combination with the adjustable scale-board B, constructed and operatingr substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

Vitnesses: MICHAEL EBLE.

NoDTsoLULTHErss,

Bayrhammer, in Feemuzen. LUDWIG LU'rz. 

